Expectations

Happy Friday!

I welcome you to this week's edition on "Expectations" (#231).

After an eventful weekend road trip to the majestic Redwood National and State Parks, driving along the California coastline, my daughters exclaimed that it felt as if they were in a resort after lying down in their own beds back at home. Although the places where we spent the night were not bad at all, they weren’t the usual ones to which they are accustomed. There was another experience during this trip that prompted me to write about it this week!

One night, along with my cousin’s family, we were looking for a restaurant for dinner after an exhausting day of hiking and long hours of driving. It was almost 9 PM. Everyone was starving, and our choices were very limited with most eateries closing soon in that small town. We picked an Indian restaurant that was open until 2 AM. The restaurant was packed, and they took more than 15 minutes to seat us, and then an additional 15 minutes to wait on us, only to tell us that the food wouldn’t be served for at least another hour. We left without ordering, not only because of the long wait but because of the overall bad experience – the ambiance, the treatment, and the demeanor of the staff.?

There was a Korean restaurant right next door, ready to close for the night. We decided to test our luck and asked if they would serve us. The server went into the kitchen to check. The head chef was kind enough to accommodate us and let us in. For many folks in the family, it was their first dining experience with Korean cuisine. The wait staff took the time to explain the menu and accommodate our special needs regarding vegan and vegetarian dietary restrictions. The food was fresh, hot, and tasty. In a single word, it was a super hit (or "gas" in our teenager’s slang).?

With us not setting the right expectations for our daughters about the accommodations, or the Indian restaurant not being clear with us about the long wait when we arrived, disappointment resulted for all. Then the wait staff behavior made it even worse, leaving everyone involved frustrated. I believe this happens regularly at work too, and I would like to share some tips on how to?SET?the right expectations.?

Specificity: Be specific about what you expect to avoid misunderstandings and unmet expectations. Being vague can lead to misinterpretation, so ensure you communicate details clearly. We told the Korean restaurant the size of our party and our dietary needs beforehand so they could determine if they could accommodate us. In work settings, use specifics to clarify what exactly you anticipate, whether about targets, deadlines, or project requirements.?

Engagement: Engaging all the people involved in a task or project is essential in expectation management. At the Indian restaurant, the communication and coordination were totally broken between the host, server, and kitchen, while at the Korean place, it was executed perfectly.?Similarly at work, ensuring that existing forums like daily stand-ups, sprint reviews, etc., are used effectively to communicate can bolster team engagement.?

Transparency: Providing transparency to the team about your decisions, actions, and the reasons behind them creates trust and understanding. We could have clarified with our daughters about the varying quality of accommodations during our trip to keep them in the loop, similar to how the Korean restaurant was upfront with us about needing to check with the kitchen before they sat us. In a work environment, transparency can mean openly sharing challenges or constraints, providing regular updates on progress, and being truthful about what can be delivered.

So, while setting expectations is critical for a team’s success, it’s also important to actively approach differences with an open mind. Let me leave you with this quote: "When you stop expecting people to be perfect, you can like them for who they are" by Donald Miller.

Stay safe, Stay healthy and Stay blessed.?Thank you and have a great weekend.

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